The invention relates to a tool clamping mechanism, and in particular to a tool clamping mechanism having two clamping jaws connected by a double-ended screw and held in an axial location by slots in the tool holder body.
Coupling systems for interconnecting machine tools are well known in the prior art. Such coupling systems include a hollow, frustro-conical male component that forms part of the tool which mates with a frustro-conical opening in a female component. The female component is typically part of a spindle for rotating the tool. The taper of both the frustro-conical components often has a slope of about 1 to 10 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tool. Such a slope provides a rigid, on-center interference coupling when the components are pulled together by means of a clamping mechanism disposed in the interior of the female opening.
There are presently a variety of mechanisms for clamping together the frustro-conical male and female components of prior art coupling systems. In some of these mechanisms, the female component on the toolholder includes radially movable locking balls for engaging complementarily-shaped socket openings in the walls of the male component. When moved radially outwardly, the locking balls function to secure and pull in the frustro-conical tool shank into the frustro-conical opening in the toolholder. An axially slidable bolt having cam surfaces radially forces the locking balls outwardly into the socket openings. In other types of mechanisms, the female opening includes a radially expandable locking plunger which is extendable into the hollow interior of the frustro-conical male component. The locking plunger may include two or more radially movable fingers that engage openings in the wall of the frustro-conically shaped male component in order to forcefully wedge the male component of the tool into the female component of the toolholder.
While both of these general types of prior art coupling systems have shown themselves to be effective for their intended purpose, conventional coupling systems tend to put force on the body and possibly cause misalignment between the cutting head and the body, particularly for small cutters. Therefore, it would be desirable to design a coupling system that minimizes force on the body, and therefore minimizing misalignment between the cutting head and the body.